The invention relates to a tree stand, in particular a Christmas tree stand.
The basic structure of tree stands of this type is known for instance from DE 102 20 879 A1. In this case, a flexible connecting part that can be loaded with tension is provided; it passes through all pivotably arranged retaining elements transversely movable and both of its ends are attached to a cable drum. When the cable drum is rotated, the cable is wound and tautened thereupon, which draws the pivotable retaining elements inward against the tree trunk so that they finally clamp the latter in that they are distributed around the circumference of the tree trunk and hold the tree in the stand with the retaining force. In this known stand, the various parts for winding and tautening the cable are combined in an installable tensioning device with its own housing. The cable drum, among other things, is then borne in the housing. The housing also receives a tension lever that is mechanically linked to a ratchet wheel like a type of ratchet or one-way coupling. In this known tree stand, the housing of the tensioning device takes the form of a pocket with a U-shaped cross-section. The cable drum, upon which the ratchet wheel is situated rotation-fast, is borne in the two side parts of the housing. The ratchet wheel, which is provided with teeth, cooperates with two movable catches. The one is a housing catch that is embodied as a locationally fixed, supported and movable blocking member like a type of pawl and that engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel under spring force. The other catch is a lever catch that can be displaced longitudinally in the tension lever and that is also pre-stressed against the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The teeth of the ratchet wheel are embodied in the usual manner with blocking flanks and inclined flanks. They act such that when one or both catches are engaged, the ratchet wheel can only rotate in such a direction that the cable is wound and tautened. For releasing the tensioning device, in every case the locationally fixed supported movable blocking member, i.e. the housing catch, must be removed from the area of the teeth of the ratchet wheel using an external intervention. The lever catch must also be withdrawn.
While the locationally fixed, supported movable blocking member is intended to prevent the cable drum from unwinding, the lever catch produces a mechanical link like a one-way coupling or ratchet between the tension lever, which can be rotated independent of the cable drum, and the cable drum. The function or working manner when releasing the tensioning device is described in detail in German application 10 2005 003 266.4, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
This embodiment of the known tensioning device has the advantage of simple and pleasant operability. However, there is the risk that the tension lever can be inadvertently or deliberately moved from the first position, the retaining position, to the second position, the release position. This could occur solely due to upward movement by the tension lever and could mean inadvertent release from the retaining position, whereby there would then be the risk that the tree would fall out of the stand or fall over with the stand. Therefore, present on the tension lever of the tree stand is a special transverse lock that in its active position prevents an upward movement by the lever catch. In this locked condition, the tension lever can only be pivoted in the area of a first guide track, but can no longer move to the against the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The teeth of the ratchet wheel are embodied in the usual manner with blocking flanks and inclined flanks. They act such that when one or both catches are engaged, the ratchet wheel can only rotate in such a direction that the cable is wound and tautened. For releasing the tensioning device, in every case the locationally fixed supported movable blocking member, i.e. the housing catch, must be removed from the area of the teeth of the ratchet wheel using an external intervention. The lever catch must also be withdrawn.
While the locationally fixed, supported movable blocking member is intended to prevent the cable drum from unwinding, the lever catch produces a mechanical link like a one-way coupling or ratchet between the tension lever, which can be rotated independent of the cable drum, and the cable drum. The function or working manner when releasing the tensioning device is described in detail in German application 10 2005 003 266.4, the disclosure which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
This embodiment of the known tensioning device has the advantage of simple and pleasant operability. However, there is the risk that the tension lever can be inadvertently or deliberately moved from the first position, the retaining position, to the second position, the release position. This could occur solely due to upward movement by the tension lever and could mean inadvertent release from the retaining position, whereby there would then be the risk that the tree would fall out of the stand or fall over with the stand. Therefore, present on the tension lever of the tree stand is a special transverse lock that in its active position prevents an upward movement by the lever catch. In this locked condition, the tension lever can only be pivoted in the area of a first guide track, but can no longer move to the area of a second guide track. For this, first the additional transverse lock must be released. Inadvertent release of the clamping position is largely prevented with this embodiment. However, it is still possible for the transverse lock to be released deliberately and for the tree therefore to fall out of the stand. With respect to use as a Christmas tree stand, particular consideration must be given to the fact that children might actuate the transverse lock while playing and that an accident could occur due to the tree falling over. For this reason child safety locks for such Christmas tree stands were developed in the aforementioned German application 10 2005 003 266.4. These child safety mechanisms can largely prevent children from inadvertently releasing the tensioning device, but these tensioning devices are still burdened with the disadvantage that once the child safety measure has been introduced, by releasing the lever catch the retaining elements are immediately transitioned from their retaining position to the release position, which can certainly result in the tree falling over.
A tree stand of similar construction is known from German utility patent application 20 2004 020 005.8, in which the free ends of the retaining elements that are intended to be placed against the tree trunk are embodied as smooth, arched sliding surfaces. This embodiment permits the placement of the tree trunk in the stand to be corrected, i.e., the tree can still be aligned in the stand when the retaining elements are already placed against the tree trunk with notable retaining force. It has been found, that is, that the retaining elements of the known stand exert sufficiently strong clamping force on the tree trunk even when the free ends of the retaining elements are not provided as conventional pointed claws but rather are provided as arched, smooth sliding surfaces or are even provided with placement bodies that are embodied to be slidable against the trunk. However, these known stands have the disadvantage that a certain amount of experience is required to place the retaining elements against the tree trunk with enough retaining force that the tree is held up, on the one hand, but on the other hand can still be aligned in the stand. With this stand, it is entirely possible that without this experience first attempts to effect clamping will exert enough retaining force on the claws that alignment is not possible or is only possible with considerable effort, despite the sliding surfaces and the support body. In such a case, the tensioning device must be released again. Releasing leads to a situation in which the retaining elements spring back immediately out of their retaining position or “almost no longer alignment position” into the release position. In this case, as well, there is a risk that the tree will fall over. It is also disadvantageous that when the retaining elements are completely open, i.e., when retaining elements are in their release position, the complete tensioning process must as a rule start over from the beginning, along with the associated multiple up and down movements of the tension lever for the tensioning device.
The object of the invention is therefore to embody a tree stand, especially a Christmas tree stand, of the type cited in the foregoing such that when the locking device is released the retaining elements are not suddenly, i.e., not all at once, transitioned out of their retaining position into the release position.